Warning female jobless number likely to rise

Female unemployment is set to increase as private firms fail to create enough jobs to offset public sector cuts, a new report has warned.

The IPPR think tank called on the UK government to improve childcare arrangements, arguing that the high cost was preventing mothers returning to work.

The report, published ahead of the latest unemployment figures, said universal childcare paid for itself, with each mother returning to work part-time on an average wage netting the Treasury £4,860 over four years.

IPPR said the employment rate for women with children in the UK was lower than most OECD countries, ranking 19th.

Nick Pearce, IPPR director, said: “It is far better for our economy to have people in work and paying taxes than at home claiming benefits. Women will return to work if we can re-start growth and give families access to free and high quality childcare.”

However, another report by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) argued women fared slightly better than men in this year’s jobs market despite the public sector cuts.

Dr John Philpott, chief economic adviser at the CIPD, said: “As the economy weakens, private sector job creation dries up, public sector job cuts gather pace and unemployment continues to rise, it’s far too soon to conclude what will happen to men and women in the jobs market in the coming months.”